UT student charged with attempted murder after assault in residence hall

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A University of Tennessee student is facing charges including attempted murder after an incident at a residence hall on the University of Tennessee’s campus Friday morning.

University of Tennessee Police released that Michael Francis, 19, was charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal trespass. UTPD said the charges stem from an altercation with another student in a residence hall.

Court records explain that the officers responded to the fourth floor of Laurel Hall around 3:20 a.m. on Friday, where they found a student lying on his back in the hallway being assisted by paramedics.

The student reportedly told officers that a man confronted him in the hallway and he was hit in the back of the head as he was attempting to pass. The victim was then thrown to the ground, where he dislocated his shoulder, and the suspect, later identified as Francis, pulled a pink kitchen knife from his pants pocket and attempted to stab him, court records state. The documents continue to explain that the victim kicked the knife away from Francis. A woman attempted to intervene but was cut on the finger, and then Francis fled, court records state.

According to court records, another woman reported she had interacted with Francis a few hours before the incident, and he was reportedly acting erratic and upset that the victim was in her room. The record alleges that when asked to leave, Francis stated he would wait on the couch for the victim to leave “so he could kill [the victim] and go out in this world with a positive k/d ratio.”

UT Police shared that the victim was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for “non-life-threatening injuries” according to UTPD.

UTPD added that Francis was booked into the Knox County Regional Jail.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated.

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